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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Going to Guild - May

Monday was guild night and time once again for our Quilt Olympics. We divided into teams to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Everyone brought 1 1/8 yards of fabric to toss into the mix. Then we divided into teams - I was a "Swifty Seam Ripper" - and started stitching.

These pillowcases are so easy to whip up! They would make a great scout or Junior Beta project - perfect for any service hours needed or sewing class. If you want to make a few for yourself as well, I have to say they make for very "green" giftwrap.

I like to shop from my stash and find 1 1/8 yards of 3 fabrics that look cute together. Then cut each one into three pieces: 27", 10", and 3", all by the width of the fabric. Press the 3" pieces in half lengthwise. Mix and match!

Lay the 10" piece RIGHT SIDE UP on your workspace. Lay the 3" folded piece on top of that, matching raw edges. It should look like this.Then lay the 27" piece RIGHT SIDE DOWN on top of that, again matching your raw edges. You can pin at this point if it makes you feel better. I usually do, but lots of my fellow Stars made fun of me.Then you are going to roll up the 27" piece like a jelly roll to keep it out of the way of the pin line. It doesn't have to be perfect, just away from the pins.Fold the 10" piece up and over the whole thing and match the raw edges. Now you have to pin for sure.Stitch down this line with about a 1/2" seam allowance. Pull the tube inside out and VOILA!Then clean up the side edges so they match up. If you have a serger, you can finish the pillowcase edges with that. I do a French seam. Sew the last two edges of the pillowcase with the RIGHT SIDES out using a 1/4" seam allowance. Flip inside out, press, and stitch again WRONG SIDES out using a 5/8" seam allowance. This method gives you a beautifully finished pillowcase with no raw edges. Super easy!Carol was flipping for us and yelling and screaming and cheering us on, so I had to take her picture. She is our biggest cheerleader even though she claims not to be a quilter.Our busy guild members made over 70 of these in less than 2 hours!Aren't they beautiful? It is amazing how much one personal touch can mean to a person who is suffering. Going to guild these nights is always a decision - I have so much to do and it would be so easy to skip it. But I'm also always glad I went. Thinking about the people we are sewing for helps me put my little "to do" list in perspective and remember how blessed I truly am.

When I look around at how many other members showed up - more than some nights when we have a great speaker! - and I know they all are just as busy and made the same decision I made, I know that the world is full of caring people. I am so lucky to call a lot of them my friends.